Hero
by A Dragon Knight
Summary: Meet Naruto Uzumaki-Ketchum, Pokemon Trainer, Friend, Chosen One, Hero, etc. Pursuing his dream of becoming friends with all Pokemon, look out world, here he comes! *Loosely follows Pokemon Special/Adventure manga up till Ruby/Sapphire arc.*
1. Chapter 0

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Pokémon, Naruto, or the challenge this story came from. **

**Revised July 11, 2010**

**Prologue**

"Fall ba-!" the order was never finished, the person not living long enough to issue it.

It was October 10th, the worst day in history for Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

The reasons for that day being the worst is due to the fact that the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked the Village, forcing the Shinobi and Kunoichi to take up arms and defend their home.

It was a losing battle for Konoha, more than half their ninja force decimated by the Bijuu and the body count was rising by the minute.

Attacking the beast proved futile seeing that it would either swing one of its nine tails and repel the attack back or its chakra cloak would stop the attack before it even touched the mighty Bijuu. They could do nothing but slow it down with their lives, hoping that their sacrifice would be enough so that the village could be evacuated of all non-military personnel.

Meanwhile, in Konoha Hospital, a woman with blood red hair had just been forced to give birth to her child a week and a half earlier than she was suppose to an hour ago. The reason was standing in front of her, a tall man with spiky blonde hair. The sperm donor for her child.

The man had crystal blue eyes that used to hold such joy in them, but now they held nothing but an emotionless gleam.

He was the one who had forced the woman to give birth early, to combat the threat that that masked man had caused.

He was planning on using her newborn baby's life to seal away the Kyuubi, effectively containing the Bijuu.

"Kushina," the man began, "you know this is the only way to save Konoha, to save everyone! Your clan were always the keeper of the Kyuubi, why change that now?"

"But why does it have to be my child! Your condemning him to a life of pain and misery! Why don't you use your child instead!" the woman, now known as Kushina, cried out. The child may have been his biologically, but she was the one who had brought the baby to term.

The man said nothing.

"Why must I sacrifice my child when you could use yours from your wife? Minato, you always say you wouldn't let others do things for you, then why must I give up my own child for you to sacrifice just to save this stupid village that despises my very being!" Kushina cried out, her body convulsing in pain due to the combine efforts of delivering her child early and the forced release of the Kyuubi she once contained.

She was dying from being forced into releasing the Kyuubi back into the world.

A Med-Nin could have been called in, though the man, Minato, chose not to call for one. He knew, that if she lived to see the next day, that the village would lose its chance of having a living weapon on their side.

As Hokage, Minato couldn't allow such a thing to happen. If the village he devoted his life to made it through the night, he knew it would be a shadow of its former glory and would likely take years before their ranks were replenished with new blood and even more year to get them trained efficiently.

Years they didn't have.

They were going to need a weapon of their own when push came to shove. He had already heard rumors that the Kazekage had sealed the Ichibi into a child a month prior.

He already had it so that the Sandaime would be the one doing the sealing, the man would have never approved of a living weapon in the first place. Just another nuisance that wouldn't become a bigger one in the future.

Minato turned to leave, "I'm leaving now… The sealing array is already set up. Within the hour, your son shall be the next Jinchurriki of the Kyuubi. You should be proud that your son is continuing your legacy. He will be a hero," he said impassively before disappearing in a flash of yellow light, not bothering to wait for Kushina to respond.

Turning towards her baby, she realized that what he said about the sealing array had been true. Her child stomach now had a swirl pattern on it with Kanji circling around it looking like spikes. It resembled a sun somewhat with a whirlpool center.

'_Heh, whirlpool_,' Kushina thought to herself bitterly, '_your name means Maelstrom Whirlpool._'

Naruto Uzumaki had been born with blond hair similar to his donor parent, yet a red strand of hair could be made out on his head. His facial structure was that of his mothers when she was still a child; shaped like a tomato…

Lifting her child up from the cradle next to her, she began to gently rock her child, trying to sooth him as best as she could.

Kushina began to sing soothingly to her child, knowing that this would most likely be the last moments she would have with her child before she passed away.

Wiping the tears from the babies face, she took off her Uzushiogakureforehead protector from around her neck and slipped it over Naruto's head, letting it rest on his tiny shoulders.

"Even if I won't be there for you physically while you grow up, the least I could do is give you something to remember me by," she whispered even though she knew that he wouldn't understand her. It was the feeling she was conveying that counted.

The sound of the roaring Bijuu outside the gates of Konoha began to die down, and with it, the seal on Naruto's stomach began to glow crimson, signifying that the Kyuubi had indeed been sealed away once again, thus the cycle continued once more.

A few moments later and the seal returned to it black default color before it faded back into his skin, invisible to the naked eye.

Kushina watched the event take place with a devastated look. She knew that her son now contained the greatest Bijuu in existence in his body, one she had previously been the container for. Kushina knew that Jinchurriki were frowned upon by people, and having been the container of the same Bijuu that had previously attacked them wouldn't make his position any better. The whisker marks that he was born with on his face wouldn't help either.

She knew that they would more than likely turn her son into a weapon for use of the village; she just hoped that he would be able to break free of them if they ever did.

Tears silently cascaded down her puffy cheeks, her normally greenish blue eyes bloodshot from crying.

"This wasn't suppose to happen! I was suppose to watch over you while you grew up! Watch you make friends! Watch you succeed at fulfilling your dream! I wanted to spoil some grandkids someday, damn it!" she sobbed, a few of her tears landing in Naruto's blond hair.

Wiping away her tears, Kushina chuckled morosely, "You were going to grow up with friends and have a life of your own choosing…"

A strange noise caused her to go completely rigid, her arm curling around Naruto protectively.

What she saw stunned her.

In front of her were two strange creatures. One was a pink, feline-like creature with blue eyes that floated in the air with its long tail moving occasionally. The second creature was several different shades of green with a seed shaped head and little arms and feet.

"Mew!" the pink creature spoke.

Kushina was used to seeing strange things, growing up in a world where people can summon talking toads, slugs, and dogs were common made it hard to surprise her, but the creature in front of her was unlike anything she had ever seen or heard of before.

"Bi!" the other creature called out, causing the pink one to look towards it with a quizzical look.

The green creature pointed towards Naruto, whom immediately became curious of the new presence in the room, his little chubby fingers trying to reach out towards the long pink tail dangling in front of his face.

The pink creature floated upside down to see what the green creature was pointing to.

Floating close, the pink one began examining the two human figures in the room.

Kushina began to panic. She couldn't do anything to defend herself or her son from the two creatures if they chose to attack. Raising her unoccupied arm to protect herself and her child, she closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable.

A moment past and nothing happened.

Opening her eyes, Kushina saw the pink creature playing with her son using its tail.

"Mew!" the creature laughed, or at least it seemed like it laughed to Kushina.

"Bi Bi!" the green one sounded impatient.

"Mew!"

"Bi Bi Bi!"

The pink one seemed to give up, as it floated lower to the ground.

'_What is going on? What are these creatures? They don't seem like any summons I've seen before…_' Kushina allowed herself to think. Though the creatures have yet to do anything that would warrant her to respond in turn, she didn't drop her guard yet.

She saw the pink ones eyes glow briefly, before she gasped out as her son was enveloped in a pink transparent bubble that floated towards the two creatures.

"No! Don't hurt my baby! Please!" Kushina yelled out as she struggled to get out of her bed, but an unimaginable amount of pain caused her to let out a silent scream.

"Mew!" the pink one cried out before rushing to Kushina's side, catching her before she fell off the bed.

"Mew! Mew Mew!" the cat-like creature cried out quickly, shaking its head rapidly while pointing at Naruto with its small paw-like hand.

Kushina, still gasping from the pain, tried to figure out what it was trying to communicate to her.

Looking towards her child, Kushina noticed that her son was alright and was actually giggling softly as the pink bubble he was in started to spin around slowly.

"…You're not trying to harm my son then?" she asked hesitantly.

Both creatures rapidly shook their heads in negative, much to the red heads relief.

"What are you doing then?"

"Bi Bi." the fairy like one spoke, to which the pink one nodded its head.

"Mew!" it exclaimed before disappearing from sight and appearing right next to Naruto's bubble.

"…You're trying to take him away from here?" she guessed.

This time they didn't respond but they nodded there heads nonetheless.

She couldn't help but feel worried about her child now. These two creatures wanted to take him away to Kami knows where away from the village.

She paused mid-thought.

'_Away from the village…_'

"…Can you promise he will be safe and well taken care of?"

They nodded there heads once more.

"…Okay then can I have one last moment with him then?"

They didn't reply but Naruto's bubble floated towards her before she gently lifted him out of it, the bubble remained stationary.

Looking down at her pride and joy, she couldn't keep the tears from forming again. This was the toughest decision she had ever had to make. It was either trust that the village would treat her son right and hope for the best, or trust in two strange creatures that appeared out of no where. She believed that Summons would never commit such an act as to condemn a newborn.

While she knew that trusting strangers was going against what she had learned as being a Kunoichi, a former AnBu Captain Kunoichi…yet her instincts were telling her to trust them and she had yet to be misguided by her instincts yet.

In the end, it all came to choosing the lesser of the two evils, and she chose the one that would at least give her little baby boy a fresh start.

Hugging her child for the last time, she gave him one last kiss on the forehead before placing him back into the pinkish bubble that floated back towards the two silent creatures.

Kushina could tell that the creatures knew she was dying and that they didn't have anything that could help her. They were simply letting her spend what little time she had left with her son before she passed on.

A mother deserved that right.

Waving weakly at her crying baby, Kushina watched as they disappeared as soon as the fairy-like one touched both the bubble and the cat-like one, who in turn placed its tiny paws on both the bubble and the green ones hand, they were enveloped in a white streaming light that grew brighter before it forced Kushina to look away, a sad smile etched on her face.

Not even five minutes later, Minato came running in panting, obviously tired out from distracting the Kyuubi long enough to give the Sandaime time to seal the beast away using a revised Shiki Fuujin. Two AnBu members flanked him.

Walking towards the crib, Minato gasped when he noticed that it was empty. Looking around the room, he noticed that the baby was no where in sight.

Turning abruptly towards Kushina, he yelled out angrily, "Where did you hide it!"

Glaring angrily at the man for calling her son an 'it', she simply answered, "He's gone."

"I know that but where!"

"I don't know."

Now shaking in uncontrollable fury, Minato rushed forward and started to violently shake Kushina, the two AnBu doing nothing seeing as he _is_ their leader.

"Tell me where you sent it!" he continued to shake Kushina who had a small grim smile on her face.

"I can only hope that he is far away from here and your ambitions," she grinned weakly, the life beginning to fad from her eyes, the release to the Kyuubi finally taking its toll on her.

Growling in frustration, Minato ceased shaking her, preferring that she didn't die by his hands. She may have once been one of his friends, but ever since he became obsessed with becoming Hokage, he changed for the worst.

Closing her eyes, Kushina could only hope that her little boy was alright wherever he was.

Her breathing slowed before stopping all together, her chest rose once more before falling one last time, never to rise again.

Kushina Uzumaki, the Red Death of Uzushiogakure, had passed away into the full moonlit night.

x-X-x-X-x

She knew she should have brought an umbrella, but nooo, she thought she could beat the rain before it reached her.

Delia Ketchum was currently drenched.

Making her weekly visit to the general store for some groceries, she often wished that she had someone to keep her company. Sure there was her old teacher Professor Oak, but he was often busy. And her best friend was just about due to give birth to a baby boy any day now that she was kept at the hospital in Viridian City just in case.

Sighing, Delia continued to trudge on home through the muddy ground.

"Waaaahhh!" she stopped. Was that a baby crying? Who would have a baby outside in this weather?

Planning on giving the person a piece of her mind for being so inconsiderate as to have a child outside in the cold, she came upon the source of the noise and, to her unfathomable horror, a baby was left on the side of the dirt road that since been turned to mud by the downpour.

Dropping her groceries, she ran towards the baby, carefully lifting the baby out of the mud.

Rocking the crying baby back and forth, she quickly made her way back to her house, being as careful as she could with the baby who continued to cry.

Upon entering her house, Delia uncovered the baby's blanket, and to her surprise and utmost horror, she realized the baby must have been recently born. Who would be so heartless as to leave a baby on the side of the road!

She noticed the baby had sun-kissed blond hair, but the bigger mystery to her were located on the newborns face, each cheek he sported three 'whisker' like markings, and upon feeling, she discovered they were quite real.

After cleaning the baby up, she video-phoned her former mentor.

***Ring Ring Ring! Ring Ring Ring!***

"Er, hello?"

"Professor! It's Delia!"

"Oh, Delia, how are you fairing? It is dreadfully cold over here…"

"Sorry Professor, but I just found a baby outside in the rain!"

"You wha-!"

"Don't worry, I've already dried him up and was about to give him a bath. He's so cute! How could someone abandon him on the side of the road like that!"

"Er, Delia calm down….you don't want to scare the baby do you?"

"Oh! Sorry baby!"

"Hm? He doesn't have a name?"

"Um, I haven't checked for one yet…"

"…Check for a name on his person, a wristband would be likely if he is a newborn.

"…Hmmm, ah! Found it! Na-ru-to U-zu-ma-ki. Naruto Uzumaki!"

"I'll check the database and see if any missing reports have come in, but if they left him out in the rain as you said they probably would not file one… Then again, if he has the wristband he most likely has a file already"

"…"

"Delia?"

"How could people be so heartless to leave a defenseless baby in the rain, Professor? Why would they do it?"

"…There are people in the world who would do as such if not worse than that. As to why they do so, each there own reason I would 'suppose…"

"…I'll take care of him."

"Eh?"

"I'll take care of him! I've taken care of Daisy since Samantha got pregnant again, and I'll take care of little Naru-kins!"

"…Are you sure you're ready for this type of responsibility, Delia? You know if he gets attached to you and you end up giving him up for adoption he might now be able to take the change."

…"I know Professor. You've been like a father to me all my life and you know how much I have always wanted a family of my own…"

"…I'll be there within the hour to check up on his health. In the meantime, give him a bath and warm blankets."

"…Thanks Professor, for everything…"

"Nonsense, I'll always be there to help out my favorite student."

"Hehehe, what would Spencer say if he heard you say that."

"Oh, ehrm…"

"Bye Professor!"

"Bye De-"

"I guess its times for you bath now, Naru-kins!"

Rocking the baby Naruto, she finally noticed the object hanging around his neck. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

'_How did I miss that?_'

The cloth itself was red, while a metal plate fastened to the cloth had the image of a swirl on it.

"Hmm, it might not be official yet, but, well welcome to the family Naruto Uzumaki-Ketchum!"

**Chapter End**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto or Pokémon…I think…

**Revised January, 2012**

And if you're wondering what Naruto is wearing, it's a sleeveless vest that is maroon red and white that is open with a black, sleeveless undershirt. Complete with military green shorts that reach halfway down the leg. Black Running Shoes along with a black single strap backpack with multiple zip-pockets.

**Chapter 1: Sixteen Years Later**

"Hey, Mom! I'm close to Littleroot Town already, about another half mile or so left. I'm about to go look for Professor Birch's research lab near the edge of town, according to what Professor Oak told me." Naruto dutifully reported to his over fussing mother. He was currently located at a rest stop on the side of the road.

"That's great! Remember to be polite when you meet him! You don't want to give him the wrong impression!" Delia reminded him, "Now, how's Lethe?"

"She's sleeping inside her Poké ball right now. I don't know why, she was sleeping pretty much the entire boat trip coming over here…" Naruto replied then grumbled about his Pokémon having a lazy nature.

"Now, honey, you can't expect her to be like your unlimited stamina self or any of your other Pokémon," his mother explained in a kind tone.

"I guess your right mom…"

"Of course I'm right, Naru-kins!"

"Moooom! I told you to stop calling me that! It's embarrassing!"

"Right, right. You're all grown up now, aren't you? My little man!" His adopted mother giggled to herself.

"That's right!" he confirmed her observation.

"Waaahh, I miss my little baby boy already! I remember when you still were wearing diapers! Why did you have to grow up!"

"Err, uh, um, got to go mom! I'll call you later!" he quickly hung up the phone, not wanting his mother to drift farther along memory lane. Bad enough she still hounded him about all his 'little' misadventures he tended to have every now-and-then.

Shaking his head, Naruto couldn't help but say aloud, "I still don't know how I was able to escape her vice grip before I boarded the boat… Oh yeah, Mr. Mime held her back…"

With a shrug of his shoulders, sixteen year old Naruto continued on the path leading to Littleroot Town, intent with meeting up with its local Pokémon Professor.

He was walking calmly down the side of the gravel road whistling a familiar tune…

'**Agh**! **Do something already**!' a voice from within Naruto's head growled.

Scowling outwardly, Naruto mentally retorted, _'Hey, it's my life, your just here for the ride, furball.'_

'**Doesn**'**t mean you can**'**t do something interesting once in a while**! **Go battle some random Trainer, or go find some woman and**-'

'_Enough!_' Naruto was trying to fight down the blush that had made its way to his face, _'I'm not going to do that, Kyuubi!_'

'**Grrr, then do something**! **At least my former container knew how to have a good time on the battlefield**!'

'_I am. I'm walking down the road. While whistling. Not everything interesting has to be blood and action,''_ he retorted cheekily, though he rather not go into the gory bits of his birth mother's line of work.

Growling, the Kyuubi continued to aggravate her current container, causing a headache for said blond.

'_SHUT UP ALREADY! I'll go find some wild Pokémon to fight then, you stupid fox!_' he finally had enough; he would do just about anything to get that freeloader to shut-up.

Feeling the Kyuubi retreat back within to the depths of his mindscape with a feeling of smug satisfaction, Naruto let out a frustrated huff.

He knew the Kyuubi was just trying to get back at him just because he was her container. Hey, it wasn't him that sealed the Bijuu into his being. He was just an innocent, not-even-a-day-old baby **(1)**.

Naruto couldn't stop an unwanted sigh from escaping him; he could still remember his first encounter with the giant fox years ago.

**x-X-x-X-x**

_**Flashback**_ (Oh Noes!)

It had been over six years since Naruto Uzumaki-Ketchum had adopted by his new mother, Delia Ketchum.

With his adoption brought change to Delia's, and consequently everyone else's, lives.

Professor Oak did eventually contacted the authorities about finding a newborn baby, but it turned out that no one had filed a Missing Persons Report. There wasn't even a record of Naruto's birth anywhere in Kanto or any of the other Regions. Hell, the identification wristband had the name of an unknown hospital that nobody had ever heard of before.

When Child Custody Service found out about it, they immediately went to Delia's home requesting, kindly, that she let them take Naruto with them.

Delia responded by saying that she was going to adopt him and take care of him herself.

While the Child Custody Service representative was slightly against it, seeing as they preferred that children were adopted into full families, they nonetheless signed the documents to make it legit.

A couple of signatures later and Naruto Uzumaki was officially part of the Ketchum family. All that was left was to visit the doctor's and write up his birth certificate, using what little information was available on the identification wristband, and have an examination which produced some…interesting results to say the least…

Currently, however, Naruto was having fun exploring the forest sector of Professor Oak's research lab with his Best Friend/Rival, Gary Oak or, as Naruto nicknamed him, Blue.

"Were gonna die!"

…Maybe having fun wasn't the right choice of words.

Running through the foliage like men possessed, Naruto and Gary were in deep trouble. Reason? They decided to poke a Kakuna and see if it moved.

It didn't.

"AAAAHHHHH!"

On the other hand, the swarm of Beedrill guarding them did…

"It's all your fault, ya bastard! You had to poke it!" Naruto yelled while jumping over a fallen branch.

"IDIOT, YOU DARED ME TO DO IT SO IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Gary retorted while he himself sidestepped a tree, which a Beedrill soon stabbed into seconds later with its stinger arms.

They continued running and dodging, hoping that they could make it back to the research lab before the Beedrill got one of them.

When all hope seemed lost the surrounding scenery slowly began to change from the dark forest to a meadow field filled with grazing Pokémon of different species and types.

The Beedrill didn't follow them.

Figuring they were safe now, Gary and Naruto stopped to rest, Gary collapsing to the ground in sheer exhaustion, gulping in the air greedily.

"BZZZZZZZ!"

The dreadfully familiar noise caught their attention, causing them to turn back towards the forest they had just narrowly escaped from.

The treetops started to rustle from movement, and from them appeared the swarm of Beedrill, all of them buzzing loudly in agitation. The sun glinted off of their _very_ sharp stingers on their arms. The two weren't even in the right state of mind to take into consideration the third stinger.

The grazing Pokémon all fled in fear of what they knew was to come.

Naruto and Gary were soon right behind them, neither wasting any time with words, only avoiding both the stampeding Pokémon and the Beedrill closing in on them.

It would seem that luck wasn't on their side today as Gary tripped over a rock protruding from the grounds surface.

"AHH!"

What happened next was all a blur to Naruto, only remembering that he turned back to help his friend, as he would later awaken in a hospital bed, staring at the plain white ceiling with a blank look.

'_Ugh, what happened?_' Naruto inwardly questioned himself while scratching the end of a needle inserted into his arm.

'**You got yourself hurt and ended up in the hospital**, **you idiot**' a voice said to him, but try as he might he just couldn't find the source of the voice.

"Where are you?" Naruto questioned aloud.

'**I**'**m in your mind**,** you twit**. **And if you continue to talk out loud to no one**,** your doctors will begin to think you**'**re mentally unstable**.'

'…_Hello?'_

'**Good**, **you're not as dumb as you look**'the voice…complimented…

'_Hey! Don't call me dumb! And who are you?'_

'**I call **'**em as I see **'**em, brat**.** As for who I am**,** I**'**m the great Kyuubi no Kitsune**!' The prideful voice boasted.

'…_Who?'_

'…'

'…_So how are you in my mind?'_

'**I was sealed into you the day you were born**.'

'_Sealed? How did you get sealed up in me? What does 'sealed' even mean?'_

'**Sealing is exactly what it means**, **I was sealed into by the Shinigami**.'

'_Why were you sealed into me then? And what's a shinigami?'_

'**The Shinigami**,** the god of Death**. **As for why I was sealed into you**, **it was all due to that filthy**,** disgusting village**, **Konoha**!' At this point, the booming voice was yelling out profanities that would make a sailor blush.

'…_Huh?'_

'**Grrr**, **never mind**.** The important thing is that you and I have initiated contact with one another at long last**.'

'…_It was important for me to get hurt to meet you?'_

'**That**'**s not what I meant you moronic monkey**!'

'_Hey! Stop calling me names!'_

'**Stop acting like an idiot then**!'

'_I'm not acting like an idiot, you bastard!'_

'**Ugh**,** this is why I always said to Kushina I would never have a kit of my own**,** and before you start your yelling again**, **allow me to explain exactly what I am**,' the voice paused for a moment for Naruto to pay attention, '**I am a being of Aura**. **Before you even ask**,** Aura is a combination of Emotional**,** Mental and Physical energies mixed together in harmony**. **It is often mistaken for Chakra, another type of energy. The mixture can then manifest itself outside of your body and is usable in a variety of ways**.'

'…_Why are you telling me this?'_

'**I**'**m telling you because if you don**'**t learn how to control my Aura that is beginning to pour into your body**,** overflowing your own reserves of latent Aura**,** you will eventually die from housing too much in your body**.** It would be the end of both you and me**,** seeing as my existence is tied to yours and I have no way of escaping my prison without the risk of damning us both**,' the Kyuubi sounded irritated '**Hence**, **I will teach how to control and use it; I do not want my weak container dying because of his incompetence, killing me in the process**.'

The information was too much for Naruto to handle. He couldn't wrap his young, developing mind around the thought that some type of energy he never even heard of before was killing him without him actually knowing it, let alone that he had some creature sealed inside of him somehow.

…Maybe he snapped?

'**I am **_**very**_** much real**, **you insufferable idiot**.'

He promptly passed out.

The heart monitor proceeded to zigzag up and down rapidly for a few moments, causing the nurse on duty to jump in shock.

_**Flashback End**_

**x-X-x-X-x**

Taking a slight detour from the main road, Naruto ventured into the tall grass, hoping that he would encounter some Pokémon to train his against, and hopefully sate the Bijuu's need for action.

"Ahhhhhh! Help!"

Snapping his head towards the direction of the cry of distress, Naruto immediately ran to help.

'**Use your Aura Sight, you brat. It is always best to go in prepared for anything**' the Kyuubi ordered/insulted/pointed out.

'…_Coming from the oh-so-powerful fox who got herself sealed away? Again?'_ Naruto knew it was a low blow for the fox but he was still slightly pissed from their earlier conversation.

The Kyuubi's outburst of vulgarity confirmed his thoughts, but he otherwise focused on doing what the fox had previously suggested.

Calling upon his inner energy, Naruto began to channel towards his eyes. Blinking his eyesight turned into a world of different shades of blue with different colors appearing at the edge of his vision.

Detaching his minimized Poké ball from his belt, he held onto it till he was within throwing range.

"AAAHHHH!" the voice, which was distinctly male, yelped in pain.

Being close enough, Naruto was able to see a man hiding atop a small tree with four canine-like Pokémon at its base trying to bite at him.

The Pokémon were small and gray in general with black coloration on their face, feet, inside of their ears and underbelly, with yellow sclera's and red irises. Finishing it off with sharp, pointy fangs, the Poochyena were indeed the problem.

Launching the Poké ball towards the group, he could only pray that Lethe was strong enough to take on the pack of wild Pokémon.

"Go, Lethe!"

The Poké ball sprung open on its hinges, releasing a bright flash of white light from its containment.

When the light died down, a small, blue, dog-like creature appeared standing on two legs. Her legs and torso were colored black, its tail is blue and around her neck was a yellow "collar". White, rounded bumps on the backs of her forepaws, with big, black floppy ears and a black "mask" on her face.

Her red eyes gazed upon the quad in front of herself.

With a cry of "Ri!" the Pokémon took a ready stance.

The Poochyena group hastily turned around to attack the new threat.

"Use Quick Attack followed up by a Force Palm, Lethe!" Naruto called out his instructions.

Following her Trainers commands, Lethe dashed forward at an amazing speed, heading for a collision with one of the Poochyena.

Not expecting to be suddenly attacked, the Poochyena on the far right took the blow, followed up by a Force Palm strike that sent it straight into the tree it had previously tried to climb onto.

Noting that the Pokémon was out cold, the Riolu focused her attention on the remaining trio of Poochyena, who looked slightly startled that one of their own had been taken down so quickly.

The closest Poochyena was quick to snap out of its daze before it charged forward towards Lethe with a full body tackle.

Evading the sloppy attack gracefully, Naruto's Riolu did not notice the twin Sand-Attacks coming from the remaining Poochyena.

"Riiiii!" the Pokémon cried out as the sand entered into its eyes.

"Lethe!" Naruto yelled out in concern. He knew that if push came to shove, he would step in before anything drastic could occur to his Pokémon friend.

"Lethe, use your Aura to sense them!" Naruto quickly commanded, though he knew that as a Riolu, they had less control over Aura than their evolved form, Lucario. Though, they can sense the 'Ripples' of Aura they pulse out at in intervals.

This was exactly what Lethe was doing, when one sense failed, the others would have to have to make up for what was lost.

Her Aura Sensors twitching, she closed her temporarily damaged eyes. While she had just begun to utilize her Aura, she was improving at an alarming rate.

"Get ready to use another Force Palm, Lethe!" Naruto called out.

Almost as if on cue, the Poochyena that had attempted to Tackle her earlier once again tried the same maneuver. It charged recklessly towards the now stationary Riolu before it went for an airborne Tackle.

Spinning on the heel of her foot, Lethe delivered a devastating Force Palm strike on the Poochyena's sternum, using her momentum to repel the Pokémon a few yards away from her position, effectively K.O.'d.

"That's how ya do it Lethe!" Naruto cheered on, his Pokémon beaming in pride at the praise she received from her Trainer and friend. It was one of the few battles that she had participated in since hatching.

Looking towards the two remaining Poochyena, Naruto noticed that one of them seemed ready to make a run for it, while the other was glaring daggers at his Riolu.

"Heads up, Lethe, its not over yet," Naruto pointed out to his Pokémon, who immediately went back on guard.

The Poochyena that had looked ready to run before did so, leaving its lone kin behind to face-off against the Riolu.

Using its Sand-Attack on Lethe, the Poochyena used it as a diversion to get in close enough to Lethe to use its Bite attack on her.

A cry of pain accompanied that attack, the cry coming from Lethe, who had been unable to use her Aura 'Ripples' fast enough to avoid the attack.

"Counter!" Naruto yelled out quickly.

Fighting through the pain pulsing through her arm, she did as she was told and countered with a sweeping kick, effectively knocking the lone Poochyena flat on the ground but not out.

Slowly getting back up on its feet, the Poochyena growled, though its menacing quality had long since been lost due to its exhausted state.

'Of all the times I forget to bring something, it just had to be my extra Poké balls…' Naruto inwardly fumed. He was missing out on a great catch! With a little time, the canine Pokémon would turn into a first-rate battler. Plus, he really didn't want to have to keep fighting when he knew that nothing good would come of it for the Poochyena.

"Poké ball go!" a voice called out.

The Poké ball sailed through the air before it connected with the tired Poochyena, which immediately was sucked into its hold. Landing on the floor, it began to shake from side to side before it's stilled, a flashing of red on the button indicating that it had been caught successfully.

Turning towards the source of the provided Poké ball, Naruto saw a man in his mid-thirties. He had dark brown hair, with a beard leading all the way to his sideburns. He was wearing a white science coat with a midnight blue undershirt. Khaki shorts and sandals along with a satchel at his side.

Wiping some sweat upon his brow, the man picked up the Poké ball, minimizing it.

Facing towards Naruto, the man waved and smiled.

"Thanks for the help!" he said to Naruto gratefully.

"No problem, but I have to ask, what did you do to get them so mad at you?"

Looking away in embarrassment, the man answered "I was getting too close to their territory and they perceived me as a threat…"

"…"

"By the way, I'm Professor Birch! May I ask what your name is?

Blinking in surprise, Naruto responded, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki-Ketchum."

It was Professor Birch's turn to blink in surprise before a wide grin erupted on his face.

"Ah, you must be the Trainer Professor Oak was telling me about!"

"That would be me," Naruto confirmed.

"Great! By the way, that Riolu of yours is quite impressive! To be able to use Aura so extensively before evolving into a Lucario is astonishing! But I must ask, how did you come upon a Riolu in Kanto when they are native to Sinnoh?"

"She's not from Kanto, Professor Rowan of the Sinnoh Region sent her over as an egg over to Professor Oak before he even knew what Pokémon was even inside the egg for study. I just happened to be in the Lab visiting my other Pokémon there." Pausing, Naruto continued "I saw the egg in an incubator; it was glowing and shaking violently. Just as it was about to tip over, I ran and caught it before it fell. The egg hatched, Lethe here was born and I've been raising her for almost three months now.

Gently lifting his Pokémon off the ground, he set her on his shoulders before he fished out a treat for her in his pocket, which she ate happily.

Meanwhile, Professor Birch was watching the interaction with a smile. This was how a Trainer and his Pokémon should be around each other, the Pokémon Researcher thought to himself.

"Well, I'm about to head on back to Littleroot Town right now, you want a ride?" he asked the distracted Trainer.

"Huh, uh sure! Walking may be great exercise, but I would really like to get Lethe checked up, make sure that Bite injury is healed right away."

"Great! Follow me! My jeep is just down the hill!"

And with that, the two made there way to Littleroot Town, with Naruto swearing to never, ever get in a vehicle with the terror on the road every again, for as long as he may live.

Lethe agreed with him wholeheartedly, she was still shaking from her spot in Naruto's lap.

**And that's the end of the chapter, folks! More of a filler if anything else.**

**I just wanted to have everything set up. **

**I've also come to hate descriptions, annoying things they are!**

**Leave a review to tell me how I did for my first Pokémon battle!**

**ADK Out!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**I almost won the copyrights to Naruto and Pokémon during poker night but they decided to skip out on what was owed so I still don't own either…

After watching a particularly awesome Pokémon Special AMV and reading the Pokémon manga, I've decided on what the pairing is, or at least one of them, not sure if I'm going to do the second one or not.

On with the chapter!

**Key**

"Normal talk"

'_Normal Thinking'_

'**Kyuubi Talking**'

'_**Kyuubi Thinking**_'

**Chapter 2: Some Past, Now Present**

It wasn't too long before they arrived at what appeared to be Prof. Birch's Pokémon Research Lab on the outskirts of Littleroot Town. Said destination was more akin to a ranch than an actual research facility, ideal for studying Pokémon in their natural habitats.

"Cool…" Was all that Naruto said, having seen other places quite like the site he was gazing upon this moment.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the Pokémon Professor asked, "This is what got me interested in becoming a Pokémon Professor in the first place. I could spend days out here just watching Pokémon go about their daily lives and I still wouldn't get tired of it…"

Breathing in the fresh unpolluted air that only a countryside area could offer, the Professor began walking towards the entrance of the lab only to stop when he noticed that his guest was still watching the Pokémon in the fields with a small smile on his face.

"Hey! Let's go inside and have some lunch!" Prof. Birch called back.

**x-X-x-X-x**

The inside of the research facility looked as if a Pokémon had used Twister at full power, everywhere trash and other objects were scattered around the room. Scratching the top of his head, the Professor let out an embarrassed laugh.

"Heh…I guess I forgot to clean up…"

"…"

"…Would you mind lending a hand?"

**x-X-x-X-x**

After a half hour of hard work cleaning the room to be habitable, the two finally got to talking.

"So, Naruto, what made you to decide to start your Pokémon adventure over here in good ol' Hoenn?"

"Well, to tell the truth, I've already started my journey," Naruto admitted, "I've been running around doing the odd jobs Professor Oak needed done."

"Oh? So you helped out with his research?"

"Yeah, catching different types of Pokémon from the different areas and bringing them back to him so he could study how the environment affects the growth of certain Pokémon."

"Ah, I attended the lecture he gave a few years ago on that subject," the Prof. Birch mused, "You must be happy that the work you do for Professor Oak is helping out Pokémon research around the world."

Naruto could only scratch the back of his head in embarrassment at being so openly praised. It wasn't like he did it all by himself…

"You must have a lot of experience then, in both Pokémon and traveling," Prof. Birch noted, then asked as an afterthought, "though with the way your talking, I would expect that your Riolu would have evolved already."

Nodding his head slightly, Naruto continued, "Well, I did travel and battle a lot, most of my other Pokémon are at Professor Oaks Ranch or on loan."

"So it brings me back to the original question, why the Hoenn region?"

Taking a breath, Naruto started,"Well, I'm actually searching for a friend of mine."

"Oh? Is your friend missing?" asked the Pokémon Professor.

Shaking his head, Naruto said, "It's not like that. She just always disappears at any given time, usually calling us to meet up with her because of some new find she discovered. Always doing big things, that girl, even if her…methods of doing those things leave much to be desired…."

"So you got a call from her to come here to Hoenn?"

"Yeah, but I couldn't hear where she said she was at due to some static on her end. She sounded really urgent from what I could tell, and kept saying to come to Hoenn right away. Knowing her, she probably got herself thrown into jail for trespassing or something…"

"Does your, uh, friend get into trouble a lot?"

The Pokémon Professor did not expect his guest to suddenly burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

Wiping away a stray tear from his eye, Naruto's laughs subsided into quiet chuckles. Gathering his bearings again, Naruto smiled while he saying, "Our entire little group is always getting into some type of trouble, it just comes natural to us. Moreso for Green and myself than for Blue and Yellow.

"…Green? Blue and Yellow?"

"Oh, there just nicknames that we came up with for ourselves when we were young, er, younger."

"And you would be…?"

Smiling cheekily, Naurto answered, "Red, of course! It's the most awesome color of them all! …Right up there with orange!"

'**Ugh, I thought that unnatural love for that hideous color had gone away...**_**'**_

"…"

**x-X-x-X-x**

"So where do you plan to go from here?" The brunette Professor asked the blond-haired sixteen-year-old.

Taking a moment to come up with a response, Naruto opened his mouth to begin, "I got nothing."

"…So you came to Hoenn, an entirely different continet, searching for a friend your not even sure of her location, and you don't have the slightest clue of what to do?"

Blushing, Naruto stuttered, "I-it's n-not as bad as it sounds. Our little group is always traveling, we've been to most of the major contients already if you combine all our experiences. I've been to Almia, Johto, Orre and the Orange Islands just to name a few places…"

Raising an eyebrow in surprised Professor Birch admitted, "Well, that certainly is quite a list of places to travel to, the first even moreso considering their ban against Pokémon Trainers…"

Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Naruto responded, "Well, uh, I kinda snuck onto the island to explore…"

"…"

"C-can we talk about something else now?"

"…I have a suggesstion for what you could do in the meantime while you search for your friend."

"Hm?"

"Take the Pokémon League challenge. With the gyms scattered all across Hoenn you will be able to explore a lot of territory while searching for your friend."

"The Pokémon League challenge, eh? I've already collected all the badges of Kanto and the Orange Islands. Maybe, If I just wanted to battle, I'd go to that Battle Frontier place that Scott man told me about a couple of months ago."

"Oh? You've met Scott?"

"Yeah, dirty blond hair, flower t-shirts, and always wearing a pair of glasses? A really strange guy, wonder who he was…"

Bellowing in laughter, Professor Birch could only slap the armrest of his chair.

"That 'strang guy' is the founder and owner of the Battle Frontier!"

"…"

x-X-x-X-x

"I really should get going, I want to get to the next town before its too dark."

"Ah, the next town is Oldale Town, a small little place despite being near the sea. They have really good seafood, though…"

"As long as they have a Pokémon Center I can crash at, I'd be happy to just eat whatever they had leftover."

"Well, I've already signed you up for the League so if you do feel like it you can."

"Thanks Professor, though it shouldn't be too long before I find my friend, Green always stuck out like a sore thumb when she starts doing whatever she is planning to do…hopefully I can find her in some jail cell waiting on bail…it would be one of the better places she could end up at… If not, she'll probably find me somehow…"

"…Right. Can you do another favor for me, Naruto? Asides from helping me with my Pokémon research?"

Eyeing the Pokémon Researcher warily, the blond-haired Trainer was suddenly reminded of the other favors he had to do for the other Professors he knew.

It's all fun and games till an entire herd of Rhyhorn and Rhydon are stampeding after you. Whoever added the entry into the Pokédex stating that they will soon forget why they had started charging has never had to run from a herd of them for three miles.

'**The look on your face was priceless, brat.'** There was not really much one can do when you are trapped behind a seal located in someone's converted mindscape, so the Kyuubi got her kicks when she could. At least her current container led a somewhat amusing lifestyle.

'_Yeah, yeah, it wasn't like it was my fault in the first place…entirely'_

A poke to his forehead made him aware that he had just spaced out in front of someone.

"Uh, so what's the favor?"

"It's nothing dangerous," the man assured the younger and, now, skeptical Trainer. "It's just that the kid of my friend and my own kid just started their Pokémon journeys' yesterday, I was wondering that if you manage to catch up to them if you could help them out."

Seeing no harm in helping out a couple of rookie Trainers, Naruto nodded his head, "Sure, I know how hard it can be starting off."

"Great! You want me to give you a lift to the edge of the town?"

"NO! Uh, no thanks Professor, I'm gonna jog my way over their, get some exercise to get the blood running, ya know?"

Completely missing the look of desperation in the teens eyes, the coat-wearing man nodded his head in acceptance.

**x-X-x-X-x**

Route 101 was surprisingly peaceful during the evening. Sure he noticed some Zigzagoons zigzagging around in the grassland, but they otherwise left him and Lethe alone. Tossing a Poké Ball up and down, Naruto contemplated whether he should release the Poochyena inside. He had received the Poké Ball as Professor Birch felt that since he did the battling he deserved to reap the fruits of his (Re: Lethe's) work.

Deciding that they were almost to Oldale Town already, it might be the last chance he had if he wanted the Poochyena to find its way home.

Tossing the Poké Ball to the ground, a flash of white light and the Poochyena that Lethe had fought and won against earlier that day was released from the Balls confinements.

The canine Pokémon was cautiously sniffing its surroundings, having been released facing away from the Trainer and Pokémon pair. The Poochyena's body completely stiffened, due to it most likely having caught the scent of both Naruto and Lethe. Performing a full 180 degree jump-turn, it growled menacingly, though compared to having to share a tent with Green during her time of the month, the canine Pokémon just didn't cut it in Naruto's top ten scariest moments of his life list.

'**I will admit, that female is especially ferocious. I approve.' **The Kyuubi injected, having read his surface thoughts.

'_Really not the time_.'

Slowly lowering himself till he was on his knee, Naruto reached out slowly towards the obviously scared Pokémon.

"There, there, I'm not going to hurt you." Naruto spoke gently. The Poochyena made no move to get any closer for a moment, before it sniffed his hand curiously before it began licking his fingers.

"Hahaha, stop! That tickles!"

Happy that the canine Pokémon accepted him, Naruto tossed him a Pokémon treat which was happily munched on.

It was not long after that Naruto arrived in Oldale Town, having recalled both Lethe and the Poochyena, who he remained undecided on whether to name him or not.

Luckily for him, the Pokémon Center was right near the entrance of the quaint town.

Walking towards the sliding doors, Pokédex opened in hand to review the data entry for his Poochyena, the first thing Naruto noticed when he walked inside were two teens yelling at each other.

"If your gonna be that way Brenden, then I'm leaving!" Yelled a female teen wearing a orange sleeveless shirt and a black biker shorts. An orange bag securely fastened around her waist as a belt and a green bandanna on her head. Black-fingered white gloves and orange and white shoes finished the brunettes ensemble.

'_I wonder where she is running off too? Nice color choice though.' _Shrugging, Naruto figured that the girl would probably be back later. Checking in with the Nurse Joy at the reception desk, he handed over his Poké Balls for a healing cycle and asked the Nurse Joy for a room for the night, who accepted the Poké Balls and handed over a keycard for one of the boys rooms.

**x-X-x-X-x**

"Ugh, I shouldn't have ate all that food in the cafeteria…" Naruto bemoaned, clutching his stomach in pain as he walked out of the boys restroom. Passing the reception desk, the sound of thunder caused the red-head to look out towards the transparent sliding doors. It was pouring badly outside, the lightning and thunder only making it worse.

'_This is a pretty bad storm to start up all of a sudden, though it doesn't have anything on the Shamuti Island Incident… I wonder how Melody is doing?' _Pausing in remembrance, he sighed,_ 'At this rate, the entire path will be to flooded for a while, might be a good time to go fishing though…'_ Naruto thought, already planning his next course of action.

"Hey!"

Startled, Naruto turned around to see the male teen he had see earlier when he arrived. The teen was wearing a black shirt with an orange pattern on it, black and gray shorts over black pants. An odd white and green beanie/bandana combination covered his black hair.

"Yeah?"

"Did you see a girl with a green bandana?" the teen asked urgently.

"You mean the one that ran outside earlier?" Receiving a nod is confirmation, Naruto continued, "Sorry, haven't seen her since then. Have you checked the girls section of the rooms?"

"I did! None of them have seen her! I'm really starting to get worried!" the teen was panicking now if his nonstop ramblings was any indication.

"**Just knock him out already, he's giving me a migraine."**

'_Hush, you…wait, how are you getting a migraine? You don't have a body!'_

**x-X-x-X-x**

Naruto, having been drafted into helping find the girl, who he learned was actually May, one of the two Trainers the good Professor Birch had asked that he help out, and that the teen that he was now helping out was the Professor's son, Brenden.

'_That sure was a coincidence that I ran into them so quickly…'_

"**In my lifetime, I've learned that****coincidences do not exist." **the Kyuubi spoke to him, "**All events in life are not a matter of coincidences, but, rather, an elaborate web that ensnares those that have meaning in the world."**

'…_Wait, what? What the heck are you talking about? Never mind, I think I would be better off not knowing…'_

"…**Brat…"**

**x-X-x-X-x**

Near the outskirts of town, along Route 101, two cloak-wearing figures could be seen chasing after a Pokémon just outside their reach. Tossing a Poké Ball into the air above them, a bird Pokémon materializing from its contents.

"Wingull, use Quick-Attack and follow up with Wing-Attack!" the figure on the left called out, the voice being decidedly male.

The Flying-Type Pokémon soon sped up, striking their fleeing target with one of its wings, the Pokémon hit by the attack letting out a cry of pain but continued to evade further attacks.

Noticing that all their attacks were doing nothing, the cloaked figure with the male voice had to shield his eyes from a sudden bright light that disoriented his entire group. By the time the group's senses were restored, their target had disappeared from sight.

"Damn it!"

After a quick search of the surrounding area, the group left, never noticing a pair of blue eyes watching their every move from atop the treetops, a Poké Ball in each hand and a smug grin on the blue-eyed figures face.

**x-X-x-X-x**

After half and hour of looking, and the storm suddenly ending abruptly as it had started, their search paid off. They had found May huddled under the branches of a tree near Route 102, an orange Pokémon, a Torchic if what he could remember from skimming through the Pokédex, held against her body for shared body warmth.

"May!" Brenden yelled out even as he rushed towards her unmoving form.

Scooping up the surprisingly light girl in his arms bridal-style, Naruto, and a near hysteric Brenden, rushed back towards the Pokémon Center, the startled Torchic chasing after them while avoiding the water puddles.

**x-X-x-X-x**

"Is she gonna be alright Nurse Joy?" Naruto asked the pink-haired woman. Brenden was currently sitting in a chair by May's bedside, waiting for his friend to wake up.

Nodding, the woman smiled kindly, "She has a small fever but it should pass within a day or two, all she needs now is some rest."

Sighing in relief, Naruto thanked the nurse before going to inform Brenden of the news.

"Brenden, Nurse Joy said that she is going to be fine, she just needs to rest now."

Hearing a mumble from the teen, Naruto asked, "What? I can't hear you."

"I said, its all my fault that she is here in the first place. If I hadn't made fun of her for wanting to be a Pokémon Trainer, she wouldn't have ran out like that. It's all my fault."

Having listened to the teen, Naruto nodded his head and said, "You're an idiot."

Brenden, thinking that Naruto was going to blame him as well for what transpired, hung his head low.

"What happened is not your fault, at least, not entirely. What she chose to do after you did was completely by her own choice. Sure you could have been more mature and could have apologized, and you still should, her getting sick from the storm, which was not expected. What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't blame yourself, you can't change the past."

'_You can, but…'_

Letting what he heard sink in, Brenden let a small grateful smile show.

"Thanks…"

Walking towards the door, Naruto waved him of, "Don't mention it."

A few moments later, Naruto stuck his head back into the room, "Seriously, don't mention it. Can't have anyone think I'm getting all mushy or any of that emotional crap."

**x-X-x-X-x**

Walking into his room, Naruto was somewhat surprised, and annoyed, to see who was waiting for him on his bed, eating his ramen…

"Green, what the hell? Stop stealing my ramen!"

**x-X-x-X-x**

**Chapter End**

Yeah, yeah, I know this chapter is _extremely late_, about a year I think. I blame my classes.

I haven't had a chance to go over the chapter thoroughly, so if you see any mistakes or inconsistencies let me know please.

Yes, this chapter can be counted as a filler and slightly pointless, but it sets up a few things.

Please note, some events will probably only be mentioned in passing but I'll probably do flashbacks to explain them.

Read, enjoy, review.


End file.
